


No Sand in His Ears

by matrixrefugee



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Gen, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-24
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-10-20 07:47:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17618372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/matrixrefugee/pseuds/matrixrefugee
Summary: The young trainee who will become Jack Harkness is a little more street smart than he seems.





	No Sand in His Ears

**Author's Note:**

> Written for < lj user="tamingthemuse">'s "Prompt #392 Hinterlands". Featuring a very young Jack Harkness, just entering the Time Agency, also a young John Hart. Warning for one narrow-minded character and their rude mouth.

"So, there any, y'know, after hours action?" the new kid, Zero-Zero-Seven, asked. Typical young guy question and even more typical of Tiresians, particularly from a backplanet place like the Boeshane Peninsula: engineering had made them eager to mingle, not that she minded, at least not outside headquarters. She thought their kind had faded out after the colony ships reached the Isop Galaxy and the colonists started to settle the habitable planets, but the kid seemed to have throwback genetics.

"Not here in the barracks, but there's plenty of facilities in town for that," Shreik replied, keeping neutral about the matter.

"What, ready to start mating and seeding?" Zero-Zero-Eight, one of the other newcomers, a red-blond guy from Egron-5 twitted, leaning down from his upper bunk and trying to catch the Tiresian's eye.

"Sure, if you're willing for either," the Tiresian twitted back, grinning.

"You can discuss that elsewhere and at another time," Shreik cut in. "Zero-Zero-Seven, you're on an upper bunk for the time being. Lockers to stow your kit are in the next room, showers and the latrine are beyond that."

"Seven? How'd I get such a low designation? I thought I was the first to sign up," Zero-Zero-Seven asked.

"Because Zero-Zero-One through Six didn't make the cut," Shreik replied calmly.

"Yeah, they killed each other, I heard," Zero-Zero-Nine said, from a lower bunk.

"Zero-Zero-Eight, take a lower bunk," Shreik said, making a note on her data pad.

"Yes, sir," Zero-Zero-Eight said, climbing down from the bunk as requested. "But only if I get the bunk below Zero-Zero-Seven."

"Wot, so you can check out Zero-Zero-Seven's kit?" Zero-Zero-Nine asked, darting a look that smacked of jealousy toward Zero-Zero-Eight. Shreik inwardly sighed and made more notes on her pad: she would have to see these jokers did not come to blows over the Tiresian.

"If you wanna check it out, you'll have to ask first," Zero-Zero-Seven twitted back.

"Don't wanna be under that bunk: Tiresians keep the rest of the colony up all night," Zero-Zero-Ten mumbled from the far end of the barrack, not deigning to look up from the e-book reader in hand. "That why they plant their kind in the boonie colonies?"

Shreik darted a glare at the speaker. "Zero-Zero-Ten, we'll have none of that kind of talk," she said. "You work for us now, and we're open to sentient species of all designs."

"Long as they keep their dating and mating and pollinating to a minimum," Zero-Zero-Ten said, intent on the e-book reader.

"Which is why we have rules about fraternizing in the barracks," Shreik said, pointedly.

Zero-Zero-Seven grinned at Zero-Zero-Ten. "You can find out how we mate and pollinate in the hinterlands, if you like," he offered.

Zero-Zero-Ten darted a look up at Zero-Zero-Seven. "I rather do the deed with someone who's got one set of equipment at a time."

"Whoa, take the prejudice outside, willyah?" Zero-Zero-Eight, giving the interloper a dangerous smile, the kind of smile that had given the intake officials cause for concern.

"Oooh, coming to my rescue," Zero-Zero-Seven said, grinning and dropping a wink at Zero-Zero-Eight. "My first night in the barracks and I got a knight in shining armor. Wait till I write a letter to Mom back on the sand farm."

"We can polish that armor soon as you're settled and soon as we find a place of our own, Sand-Boy," Zero-Zero-Eight twitted with a smirk.

"That's a kind offer, Zero-Zero-Eight, but it will have to wait till you've both qualified for your cityside passes," Shreik said.

"Awww! What a way to start basic training," Zero-Zero-Seven grumbled.

"Get used to the rules and regs," Zero-Zero-Eight said dryly.


End file.
